Occupational therapy in Australian residential aged care facilities: A systematic mapping review.
Lora Calderone, Michelle Bissett, Matthew Molineux
PMID 35715976WHAT IT FOUND
Only 12 Australian studies on occupational therapy in residential aged care met inclusion criteria, and most were small qualitative or quasi-experimental designs.
The profession lacks the local evidence base it needs to advocate for its scope of practice.
Key findings
01The systematic search identified only 12 articles meeting inclusion criteria for occupational therapy in Australian RACFs, which the authors describe as a dearth of peer-reviewed publications.
02The included literature is rated as low against published hierarchies of evidence, with most studies being quasi-experimental or qualitative rather than randomised controlled trials.
03The ACFI funding model dictates the scope of most occupational therapy practice in RACFs, and the profession argues it is restrictive and misaligned with core professional values.
STILL TO COME
How it was doneWhat they foundWhat it means for OTs
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What it does not show
A mapping review does not critically appraise or synthesise the findings of the included articles, so it describes the landscape rather than testing any intervention. Not all 12 included articles are exclusively Australian or set in RACFs, creating a small risk that some extracted data are not directly relevant. The included studies themselves were small (Australian participant samples ranged from 4 to 45) and mostly non-experimental, so the underlying evidence is weak. The search was limited to four databases and English-language peer-reviewed journals, so grey literature, conference proceedings, and non-English work are excluded.
Declared interests
The authors declare no conflict of interest.
The easy way to misread this
Do not read the positive findings from the included studies, such as live music reducing agitation in residents with Alzheimer's disease, as established evidence. They come from studies with as few as 7 participants and quasi-experimental designs, and this mapping review does not appraise their quality or generalisability.
Summarised by AI from the full paper, without a clinician reviewing it. Check it against the source before it changes what you do. Read it on PubMed →